The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) NNPC has revealed why the Port Harcourt refinery is yet to begin production.
Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd., Olufemi Oladapo Soneye cited unexpected challenges encountered during the commissioning phase.
Although the refinery achieved mechanical completion months ago, unforeseen issues slowed the activation of critical equipment and processing units.
These setbacks, which are common in large-scale brownfield projects, have now been addressed, allowing commissioning activities to resume.
However, the NNPC has refrained from providing a definitive date for when the refinery will commence operations.
Soneye said:
“Once fully operational, the Port Harcourt refinery, dormant for years despite its establishment in 1965, is expected to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on fuel imports and potentially bring down fuel prices.
“You may recall that mechanical completion of the PHRC revamp was successfully achieved several months ago, marking a significant milestone in the project. Following this, we began the commissioning of critical equipment and process units.
“However, as is common with brownfield projects of this scale and complexity, we encountered unforeseen risks and challenges.
“These issues have since been effectively resolved, and commissioning activities have resumed.
“Work is being carried out around the clock to ensure the successful completion of this critical project.”
